1940-08-21 — Page 2

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THE CHINA MAIL, AUGUST 21, 1940

CALM CONFIDENCE

"Sure Of Ourselves And Of Our Cause."--Mr. Churchill

Offensive Will

Will Be Taken Next Year: Premier's Survey

"IF IT IS A CASE OF WHOLE NATIONS: FIGHTING AND SUFFER- ING TOGETHER THAT OUGHT TO SUIT US BECAUSE WE ARE THE MOST UNITED OF ALL NATIONS, BECAUSE WE ENTERED THE WAR UPON THE NATIONAL WILL. AND, WITH OUR EYES OPEN-AND! BE- CAUSE WE HAVE BEEN NURTURED IN FREEDOM AND INDIVIDUAL RESPONSIBILITY AND ARE PRODUCTS, NOT OF TOTALITARIAN- UNIFORMITY, BUT OF TOLERANCE AND VARIETY:""

This was among the striking passages in the speech of the Prime Minister, Mr. Winston Churchill, yesterday, on the conduct of the war, during which he gave a masterly review of the first:1 11⁄2 months of conflict.

"We cannot tell what lies ahead.

"Death and ruin," he said later, "become it may be that even greater or- small things compared with the shame of de- deals lie before us, feat or failure in duty. We will face whatevering to us. is coming to us. We are sure of ourselves the supreme fact which has em-

and our cause.'

"

"We will face whatever is com- We are sure of our- selves and our cause and here is)

erged in these months of trial.

Army At Home: "Meanwhile we have not only

fortified · our hearts but our

is-

We have rearmed and re- our armies in a degree

impossible a few months ago.

which would have been deemed

Mr. Churchill emphasised that Britain must prepare herself for the campaigns of 1941 and 1942. Two or three years, he point-land. ed out, is not a long time, even in our short precarious lives. They are nothing in the his- tory of a nation

we must not grudge these years or weary as we toil and struggle through them.

"We ferrisd· across, the: At- friends

lantic, thanks to our

over there, an immense mass

gun or

as

KNOWS

HITLER CANNOT WIN

General reaction in Washington to: Mr. Churchill's speech is that he knows that Hitler cannot win this.

war.

"It was a good speech-shows a lot of confidence and is reassuring," was the comment of one hard- bitten newspaperman:

Mr. Churchill's re ferences to the food blockade aroused

little comment be- cause all that would be implied if America were allowed to feed. the German-occupied parts of Europe is now more widely known:-- Reuter.

►

"I told the House two months ago that whereas in France our fighter aircraft; were want to Infilet a loss of two or three to one upon the Germans, and in the fighting at 'Dünkirk, which was a kind of No-Man's Land, about three or four to one, wa expected that in the attack on this island we would achieve a larger ratio.

"That has certainly come true. (Cheers).

"It must also be remembered that all enemy machines and pilots which are shot down over our' Island or the seas which surround it are either destroyed or captur- ed, whereas a considerable pro- [portion of our machines and also our pilots are saved and are soon

ready again to come into action.

Speedy Repair

"The vast and admirable sys- tem of salvage directed by the Ministry of Aircraft. Production ensures the speediest return to the fighting line of damaged ma- chines and also the most pro-

vidential and speedy use of all spare parts and material.

"At the same time the splendid, nay: astounding increase în out- put and repair of British aircraft and engines which Lord Beaver- brook has achieved by his genius for organisation and drive, which looks like magic (cheers) has given us over-flowing .rescrves of every type of aircraft and an ever mounting stream of produc- tion both in quantity and quality.

"The enemy is, of course; far more numerous than we' arc; but our new production already, 1 am advised,

his largely, and American produc- tion is only just beginning, to flow in.

exceeds

there is a large growing pro- "It is a fact, as I see from my gramme of food production on daily returns, that our bomber and fighter strength. now, after

foot.

"I do not say this to boast. The all this fighting, are larger than

that face us are still they have ever been. (cheers).

Roads To Victory ›

of munitions, of all kinds, can-dangers nons, rifica, machine-guns, enormous but so are our advan- cartridges, shells, all were safe-tages and resources.. ly landed without loss of a have a right to know there are "I recount them as the people the down, Continuing his statement,

our fine Expeditionary

"We hope and believe we shall a round. (Cheers). Prime Minister, in connection Force which Leopold called to "The output of our own fac-solid grounds for the confidence be able to continue the struggle with our refusal to allow food his rescue cut off and almost tories, working they have we feel, and we have good reason indefinitely, as long as the enemy. to pass the blockade of German captured, escaping. as it seemed never worked before, has poured to feel ourselves capable, as I'pleases and the longer it con occupied territory, declared that only by a miracle and with the forth,

said in the very dark hour two tinues the more rapid will be our many of the most valuable foods loss of all its equipment.

"The whole British Army is months ago, of continuing the war approach first towards parity and Italy at home. More than two mil if necessary alone, if necessary then towards superiority in the

lion determined men have rifles for years.

air, on which in a large measure and bayonets in their hands "Now I say it also because the decision of the war depends.

Mr the fact that Britain stands: in- of

the to-night and three-quarters

Churchill praised tlicm are In regular......... military

R.A.F. fighter pilots but asked formations.

his audience not to forget the work of our bomber squadrons night after night and month after month: He added:

essential to are vital war materials.

manufacture "Our ally France out.

against us.

Vichy's Future

"A puppet government set up!

"We have never had armies like this in our island in time of war. The whole island bristles against..invaders from the sta

or from the air.

"Fate are used to make ex- plosives, potatoes to make al- cohol for motor spirit. Plastic

"All France in the power of the materials, now so largely used

vast In the construction of aircraft, nemy, all its arsenals and

nasses of military material con- are made from milk. "If the Germans used these verted or convertible to the en- commodities to help them bombemy's use. our women and children rather than feed the population who

at Vichy which may at any mo "As I explained to the House mont default to become our foe in the middle of June, the strong-| produced them, we may be sure

"The whole any imported food would go the

western seaboarder our army at home the larger same way, directly or indirect-of Europe, from the North Cape must an invading expedition be, ly, or would be employed to re-to the Spanish frontier, in Gerind the larger the invading ex- lieve the enemy of the respon-man hands. All ports and all ai pedition the less difficult will be sibilities he has so wantonly as-employed against us as potentia

fields upon this immense fron he task of the Navy in defeat- ng its assembly, intercepting it springboards of invasion,

lestroying it on the passage. "Moreover the German air pow-i

First Line-Of-Defence

sumed.

S

+

"The greater will be the dif- ficulty of feeding and supplying the onlynvaders if they are ever landec

n the teeth of continuous nava direction: and air attack on their communi- escorted by their cations.

Let Hitler Take It er, numerically so far out-strip- "Let Hitler bear his respon-ping ours, has been brought sibilities to the full, and let the close to our island that what w people of Europe who groan be used to dread has come to pas:

und hostile bontbers not neath his yoke aid in every way the coming of the day when that reach our shores in a few min-

utes and

from many yoke will be broken...

but "Meanwhile we

can be quite well arrange. In advance

for fighters. the speedy entry of food into any part of the enslaved area when the part has been whol- ly cleared of German forces

can

and has genuinely regained its freedom. (Cheers).

"We shall do our best to en- courage-the-building-up-of-re- serves of food all over the world' so there will always be held.out before the eyes. of the peoples of Europe, including-I say It) deliberately the German and Austrian peoples, that cortain' knowledge that the settling of the Nazi power will bring to them all immediate food, freedom and peace." (Cficers),

Cataract Of Disaster

Mr. Churchill went on: "Rather more than a quarter of a year has passed since the: now Gov- ernment came into power in this; country.

"What a cataract of disaster has poured out upon us since than,

a

vincible and Nazidom is still being resisted, will kindle again

a spark of hope in the breasts of a hundred million down- trodden or despairing men and

"We are able to women throughout› Europe and far beyond its bounds, and from verify the results of the bombing these sparks there will pre- of military targets in Germany. sently come a cleansing and not only by reports which reach devouring flame.

us through many sources but also by photography..

Its:

The Air Battle

"I have no hesitation in saying this process of bombing military "The great (air battle which industries; and communications: in has been in progress over this Germany, and air bases and stor- land for the last few weeks re- age depots from which we are cently attained: a high intensity, attacked, which process will con- "It is too soon to attempt tinue upon an ever-increasing scale until the end of the war, or to assign limits either to scale or to Its duration. We may in another year attain di

mensions-hitherto undreamed of, must certainly expect that greater efforts will be made by affords one of the most certain, if not the shortest, of all ronds to the enemy · thần ·any... he 50

victory. fár has put forth: "Hostile airfields are still be-

Italy Not Forgotten "As in Nelson's day the firs.ing developed 'In France and the "If we were confronted

fine of defence is the enemy's Low Countries and the move "Even if the Nazi legions stood the beginning of May with such

ports:

ment of squadrons and materials triumphant on the Black Sea, a prospect it would have seem.

"Alr reconnaissance and photo-for attacking us is still proceed- or indeed upon the Caspian, even ed Incredible that at the end of raphy have brought to old prin-¡ing.

if Hitler was at the gates. of a period of horror and disaster iples new and potent ald,

It is quite plain Hitler could India, It would profit himno- or at this point, in a period o

"Our Navy is far stronger than not admit defeat in his air at thing if at the same time the disaster, we should stand erect at the beginning of the war.tack on Britain without sustain-entire economic and scientific ap aureof ourselves (Cheers); (Cheers): The great flow of na-line most serious injury:

paratus of German-war-power- masters of our fate and with the val construction..set on foot at the "If, after all these boastings, lay shattered and pulverised, at conviction of final victory burn-outbreak of war is beginning to blood-curdling threats and lurid home. ing unquenchable in our hearts! Come in,

accounts trumpeted around the "The fact that an invasion of (loud cheers).

"We hope our friends across world of the frightful damage he this island upon a large scale has the ocean will send up timely has inflicted, of the vast numbere become a far more difficult operau reinforcements to bridge the gap of our air force he has shot'down tion' with every week that has between the peace flotillas of 1930-60 he says with so little lo passed since we saved our army and the war flotillas of 1941, to himself, i after talds- of 'panic- at Dunkirk, and our very great

"The seas "and

are stricken British crouched in their preponderance of sea power, en- open. U-boats are contained and holes cursing the plutocratio gov-ables us to: turn our eyes and | the magnetic' mine is up, to the ernment which led them to such turn our strength; increasingly

present mastered:

aplight (laughter)—if his whole towards the Mediterranean and "Merchant tonnage under the onslaught were forced tamely, to against the other enemy (cheers) "Let us see what has happen- British flag after a year of unlim-poter out, the Fuchrer's reputa- who, without the slightest pro- ed on the other side of the scales/ited U-boat war, after eight tion for veracity of statement vocation, coldly, and deliberately The British nation and the months of intensive mining at- might be seriously Impugned for greed, stabbed France in the. British Empire, finding them-tock, is larger than when we bes (Loud laughter): selves alone, stood undismayed gan." (Cheers), against disaster,

Undismayed

"Few could believe we could survive, none would have believ ed we should to-day:not only feel stronger but should actually be stronger than we have ever been before. (Clibers)."

оседло

"None flinched or wavered;! Food Supplies- nay, some who formerly thought

་་

So Far So Good":

back in the moment of 'her agony and is now marching against us [in ̧ Africa;

Somalilandr

"We may be sure therefore ho The trustful Dutch were over- of peace now only think-ofwar!}" "We' have In addition under our will continue as long as he has whelmed, their beloved and re(Chears),

control at least four.million tons strength to do so and 'us' longius "The defection of France. has spected Sovereign driven... Into "Our people are united and re-of shipping from captive countries any preoccupations he may have of course been deeply damaging exile, the peaceful city of Rot-solved as they have never been which have taken refuge here or in respect of the Russian air force to our position in what is called, terdum the scene of a massacre before.

In harbours of the Empire,

állów" him to do so."

somewhat oddly, the Middle East as brutal as anything in the "Death and ruin become small "Oúr" stočka "Toftoba" offatt "On the other hand the con- "In the defence of Somaliland, Thirty Years! Wära.

things-compared with... thio, shame | ❤ kindstarom far:more": abundant "tions and course of the fight have[för instance, we counted "Belgium invaded and beaten of defeat or failure in duty.

than in the days of peace and so far been' favourable to us.

(Continued on Pagò›

upon